Jun242016

Event Summary

Effective philanthropy is driven by three questions — why, what, and how? AEI President Arthur Brooks was joined by Melinda Gates for a discussion about how the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation answers these questions in their efforts to solve major public health and education challenges around the globe.

Ms. Gates discussed her and her husband’s initial foray into philanthropy and the guiding principle of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation — that all lives have equal value no matter where they are lived. The foundation pursues this guiding principle with a commitment to technology, innovation, data, collaboration, and the notion that human beings can change the world for the better.

Dr. Brooks and Ms. Gates discussed how the foundation learns from its successes and failures, works with private enterprise and government to increase access to vaccines in the developing world, and empowers women and girls to improve their health and the health of their families. The event concluded with Ms. Gates encouraging the audience to find their passions and use their resources to improve the lives of others. — Spencer Moore